One night escape to Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex

Oh how a get away was needed this gloomy January! And one night staying at Rathfinny Flint Barns was the perfect tonic!

Situated in the nature of the South Downs, Sussex, Rathfinny was founded by Mark & Sarah Driver in 2010.

The site occupies a perfect south facing slope, just 3 miles from the sea and it’s climate, chalk soils and aspect make it a perfect place to produce premium sparkling wine.

We stayed in the Flint Barns which are in the heart of the estate, walking distance from The Tasting Room restaurant featured in my photos. With a backdrop of the vineyards, we enjoyed the set menu (2 courses £34.50, 3 courses £39.50)

We treated ourselves to The Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs Brut 2016 which as you can tell from my expression was an absolute joy on both nose and palate👃 Made the same way as Champagne 🍾 this was oozing lemon curd, buttered croissants and grapefruit with a long peachy finish. It was my favourite wine tasted followed by the Blanc de Noirs Brut 2015.

After a cosy evening by the fire in the barn lobby, the next morning we headed to the Cellar Door for our tour and tasting. This was hosted by @langford.judith who was so informative and brilliant. Judith is heavily involved in the winemaking process from the pruning to the bottling, everything happens on site here. I would recommend requesting Judith for your tour as she really was first class🌹

It didn’t stop raining ☔️ from start to finish but that was the beauty of this rural one night stopover ~ everything we needed to experience in close proximity.

A much needed escape to the English countryside, all in the name of wine education ;) 🥂